For months now, there has been a growing drumbeat against illegal immigrants, mainly in Prince William and Loudoun Counties -- both of which passed measures earlier this summer targeting those immigrants. One group in particular, Help Save Manassas, has been vocal in pushing for a crackdown on illegal immigration in Prince William. To date, the anti-immigrant forces have largely had things going their way. But now, Manassas Park has pushed back, with the City Council "issuing a withering critique of an anti-illegal immigrant activist organization." According to Manassas Park Vice Mayor Bryan Polk (R), moving in the direction of what Prince William County did would constitute "trial-and-error lawmaking" that would "only [serve] to breed confusion and discontent." Polk differentiated between what he called "legitimate concerns" by citizens and "downright racism." Council member Keith Miller (R) added, "Last I checked, I don't think Manassas Park specifically was responsible for closing the borders."
The Council singled out Help Save Manassas for "false representation of the City's position" and for "a vigilante agenda that the city believes is irresponsible and offensive." The president of Help Save Manassas, Greg Letiecq of the popular blog Black Velvet Bruce Lee, responded that his group is not racist, and that Manassas Park was "free to mischaracterize what we are doing and what I'm saying all day long." But council member Fran Kassinger (I) was scathing, charging that "some people" are "saying basically, 'We need ethnic cleansing in the area.'"
As the saying goes, "them there's fighting words."
Interestingly, Manassas Park's actions came after Fairfax County Board Chairman Gerry Connolly blasted Prince William County Chairman Corey Stewart, for ethnic "profiling." And this Monday, the Washington Post accused Stewart of running a "politburo." No question, things are definitely heating up on the illegal immigration issue in Northern Virginia. The question is, how will it play out from here?
It's just "Common Sense" according to Thomas Paine.
Do we have a housing problem, yes...
Do we have a traffic problem, yes...
Do we have a crime problem, yes...
None of these problems is peculiar to recent immigrants.
They are all our problems and they effect America citizens and residents of Prince William County as much and no more than they effect recent immigrants.
We need to work together as fellow human-beings to solve these problems - not divide ourselves over them.